Why on Earth is the Sky Blue?

Alright, Imagine the sun is like a giant flashlight shining down on Earth. But instead of being just one color, the light is is made of a bunch of different colors all mixed together (like a giant invisible rainbow). Now, the sky around us is filled with tiny particles like air and dust that you cant see with just the naked eye. When the sunlight hits these particles, the blue part of the light gets bounced around way more than the other colors because it is shorter in wavelength causing it to scatter in all directions. It's like when you throw a bunch of balls, but the small, light balls (the blue ones) get knocked all over the place.

Now how come during sunrise or sunset the sky sometimes changes into red, orange,  and yellow? During the day, the sun is way up high, and the blue light gets bounced around the sky like we talked about. That's why it's blue. But when the sun is rising in the morning or setting at night, it's not high anymore — it's way over to the side, near the ground. That means the sunlight has to travel through way more air to get to you — it's like trying to walk through a giant crowd instead of an empty playground.

When that happens, the tiny blue light gets bounced so much that it's almost all gone by the time it reaches your eyes. What’s left are the bigger, stronger colors — like red, orange, and yellow. Those colors don't get bounced away as easily, so they stay and paint the sky with beautiful warm colors. 

Understanding why the sky is blue reminds us of the fascinating ways science explains the everyday wonders we often take for granted. From the scattering of sunlight to the vivid colors we see at sunset, it’s all happening right above us, every single day.

Have any other everyday mysteries you’ve always been curious about?
Leave a comment below — I’d love to hear your questions and maybe even feature them in a future post!